Ford Ice Centers report growth in youth and adult participation; NHL/NHLPA grants and summer roller-hockey event planned
May 22, 2026 | Sports Authority Meetings, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
Ford Ice Center executives updated the board on a year of rising demand, new programming and outside partnerships that have expanded skating and hockey access across Middle Tennessee.
David Kels, chief venues officer for Bridgestone Arena and the Predators, opened the Ford Ice Center segment by noting a Bridgestone event that sold 6,000 tickets as evidence of community reach and cross-program synergies.
Jennifer Benecki, director of amateur hockey and fan development, presented participation figures and program highlights. She said the Little Preds LearnToPlay program introduced roughly 360 first-time skaters this year, with 16% identifying as female and about 22% as BIPOC. Benecki told the board the centers had been awarded about $630,000 in NHL/NHLPA funding spread over two years to support (1) a regional unifying initiative among area rinks, (2) a college ambassador program to place ambassadors on campuses this fall, and (3) installation of a synthetic-ice training surface at Ford Ice Antioch to relieve on-ice congestion and expand year-round training opportunities.
"We've been awarded over $630,000 over the next two years," Benecki said, and described targeted programming aimed at increasing participation in underrepresented communities.
Dan Williams, director of business operations, described facility usage and special events. He presented annual-hours metrics showing heavy utilization at both Antioch and Belleview and said the combined on-ice activity equated to roughly 22,700 hours in the last 12 months. Williams reported the centers deliver hundreds of public-skate hours (more than 25,000 attendees annually with a December surge) and host more than 80 tournaments annually. He highlighted a forthcoming indoor roller-hockey conversion for the Wish Cup Summer Nationals (May 29–June 7), which staff said is expected to feature roughly 200 teams, more than 500 games and several thousand daily attendees; the centers will remove ice and install roller-hockey flooring for the 10-day event.
Williams also noted ad hoc commercial and promotional uses — including an NHL music-video shoot filmed at Antioch — and stressed continuing capacity constraints. Board members asked about expansion to other counties; staff said FY27 is an initial pilot year for the industry playbook and expansion is a goal as the program matures.
The Ford Ice Center presenters closed by saying staff are working on participant-origin reporting and event-rate benchmarking and will return with follow-up data when available.
David Kels, chief venues officer for Bridgestone Arena and the Predators, opened the Ford Ice Center segment by noting a Bridgestone event that sold 6,000 tickets as evidence of community reach and cross-program synergies.
Jennifer Benecki, director of amateur hockey and fan development, presented participation figures and program highlights. She said the Little Preds LearnToPlay program introduced roughly 360 first-time skaters this year, with 16% identifying as female and about 22% as BIPOC. Benecki told the board the centers had been awarded about $630,000 in NHL/NHLPA funding spread over two years to support (1) a regional unifying initiative among area rinks, (2) a college ambassador program to place ambassadors on campuses this fall, and (3) installation of a synthetic-ice training surface at Ford Ice Antioch to relieve on-ice congestion and expand year-round training opportunities.
"We've been awarded over $630,000 over the next two years," Benecki said, and described targeted programming aimed at increasing participation in underrepresented communities.
Dan Williams, director of business operations, described facility usage and special events. He presented annual-hours metrics showing heavy utilization at both Antioch and Belleview and said the combined on-ice activity equated to roughly 22,700 hours in the last 12 months. Williams reported the centers deliver hundreds of public-skate hours (more than 25,000 attendees annually with a December surge) and host more than 80 tournaments annually. He highlighted a forthcoming indoor roller-hockey conversion for the Wish Cup Summer Nationals (May 29–June 7), which staff said is expected to feature roughly 200 teams, more than 500 games and several thousand daily attendees; the centers will remove ice and install roller-hockey flooring for the 10-day event.
Williams also noted ad hoc commercial and promotional uses — including an NHL music-video shoot filmed at Antioch — and stressed continuing capacity constraints. Board members asked about expansion to other counties; staff said FY27 is an initial pilot year for the industry playbook and expansion is a goal as the program matures.
The Ford Ice Center presenters closed by saying staff are working on participant-origin reporting and event-rate benchmarking and will return with follow-up data when available.
View the Full Meeting & All Its Details
This article offers just a summary. Unlock complete video, transcripts, and insights as a Founder Member.
✓
Watch full, unedited meeting videos
✓
Search every word spoken in unlimited transcripts
✓
AI summaries & real-time alerts (all government levels)
✓
Permanent access to expanding government content
30-day money-back guarantee
